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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: selkie
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The Demon King arrived at Elron’s location to commend the hero for his accomplishments.
She appeared to be in an unusually urgent state as she hurried to enter the room.
The servants, without hesitation, opened the door and let their ruler, the Demon King, inside.
“Elron!”
She called out urgently as soon as she stepped into the room.
But then…
“!?”
“Ah…”
The next moment,
the Demon King stopped in her tracks, momentarily frozen with a blank expression.
Elron, who was inside the room, also stiffened, his expression freezing in place as if time had stopped.
What the Demon King saw before her was…
It was the sight of the beastwoman warrior from the hero’s party eating from a dog bowl on the floor, just like a dog.
At the same time, Elron was gently stroking her head as if treating her like a real dog.
Seeing this, the Demon King was utterly confused, unsure of how to react, and for a while, she couldn’t utter a single word.
After a brief pause,
what barely escaped her lips was…
“This… this is… quite an unusual hobby, isn’t it, Elron?”
“Ah… no… um… it’s… it’s not like that…”
The Demon King’s reaction was awkward, and it was clear she was forcing herself to remain calm, but it was obvious how uncomfortable she was.
Meanwhile, Elron, overwhelmed by confusion, struggled to explain the situation, but before he could say much, the Demon King interrupted, forcing a stiff smile.
“I-it’s fine! There’s no need to be embarrassed. I understand that everyone has their preferences. As the ruler of this land, I am ready to accept all such things.”
“…”
Trying hard to make sense of the situation, the Demon King seemed to be doing her best to remain composed.
Elron, feeling even more uncomfortable than if he had been outright criticized, remained silent, unable to say anything for a while.
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The Demon King’s sudden visit had been unexpected and poorly timed.
It reminded Elron of an “OMG” situation. Caught in an awkward position, he found himself in a difficult situation, trying to explain everything that had happened up until now.
Of course, he added a bit of embellishment, explaining that the beastwoman, Terra, ended up like this after he broke the shackles that had been controlling her, instead of revealing the truth that he had failed 45 times trying to destroy her mind like a dog.
“Hmm… I see. I misunderstood, Elron. My apologies.”
“No, my apologies, Your Majesty. I’m sorry for showing you such an embarrassing sight.”
Finally, after explaining everything, Elron heard the Demon King awkwardly apologize.
Feeling a deep sense of relief inside, he looked down at Terra, who was wagging her tail and rubbing against his leg.
“So… there’s no way for her to return to her former self?”
“It seems that way. Breaking the collar that were binding her has resulted in this, and I don’t think there’s any hope left.”
With that, Elron showed the Demon King the shattered remains of the collar.
The collar of domination, which had been rendered useless and turned into mere scrap metal after the ‘failure.’
As the Demon King examined the broken piece, she slowly nodded in understanding.
“It must have been imbued with powerful magic. Though now, it’s nothing more than a piece of scrap metal.”
Saying that, the Demon King handed the shard of the shackles back to Elron.
In a voice laced with bitterness, Elron continued:
“But honestly, I think this situation is better than what could’ve happened. After all, she had betrayed me once before. If her mind had been intact, I would’ve been overwhelmed with anger and probably would have tortured her out of rage.”
In truth, Elron had already inflicted enough suffering on Terra through the 45 consecutive failed attempts to break her mind. However, there was no need to mention that detail. After all, the Demon King was his superior,
and he needed to maintain a good image in front of her.
Besides, there was no man who would want to leave a bad impression on the ideal woman standing before him.
Part of the reason Elron had achieved over-clearance in this mission wasn’t just to gain the trust of the demons, but also to leave a good impression on the Demon King who had assigned him the task.
“It’s unfortunate… for someone like you to have to go through such things.”
“Well, I suppose it’s fate. The fate of someone like me, a hero…”
“Elron…”
The Demon King responded with a slightly heavy voice as she gazed at him. Sensing that the potentially dangerous situation had been adequately diffused, Elron breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
Thinking of praising the hero…
No, to be exact, it was the Demon King who came to visit the hero to examine the complicated state of his heart in many ways.
However, at this moment, while meeting the hero and talking to him, the Demon King felt her own thoughts and emotions becoming even more complicated.
The hero was struggling to accept the current situation with an attitude close to resignation.
And…
Seeing him like this, conversing with such a hero, the Demon King was feeling confused by this strange and contradictory emotion blooming in her heart.
‘What a truly strange thing this is… Why do I feel so uncomfortable in a situation like this?’
When she spoke coldly.
If it had been her original self, there would have been no reason to feel uncomfortable about the current situation.
The village of Rob, which plays a crucial role in the supply line of the allied races,
was where supplies departing from there had been the source of power behind the endless assault of the monsters, like blood supplied to a monster’s limbs.
If she could inflict some damage on that supply line, it would improve the situation at several urgent frontlines immediately. That was why the Demon King ordered the hero to attack there.
However… the results the hero brought were not merely cutting off the monster’s blood vessels; it was like stabbing a knife into the heart from which its blood was gushing out.
No matter how powerful a monster was, if a blade was lodged in its heart, it could not endure for long and would inevitably fall.
This was the same for the allied races that had been pounding the Demon Kingdom like one enormous organism.
Although their total military strength still amounted to three times that of the Demon King’s army, no matter how strong they were, it was ultimately impossible to hold out without food and weapons.
It would take several months for supplies to arrive from their home country.
If she could use this opportunity, not only could she turn the unfavorable war situation around, but if all went well, she might be able to drive the detestable enemies completely out from deep within the Demon Kingdom.
The hero had brought not just a delay in the enemy’s advance but a chance for a large-scale counterattack… and that too in a perfect way without any casualties among the allies.
However…
Despite this great victory,
at this moment, the Demon King could not simply accept the situation positively.
As the ruler sitting in a position of authority over all the demon races, it was only natural for the Demon King to rejoice at the hero’s actions that had brought significant benefits to the nation.
However, at this moment,
within the heart of the Demon King, there was a deep sense of sorrow arising not from that public perspective but from the viewpoint of a woman named ‘her.’
The hero had ruthlessly slaughtered his own kind, the humans, without any hesitation, betrayed them, and captured a former comrade to make them a slave.
The thorough and complete change of heart of a noble being who had once risked his life to protect his own kind and comrades.
This was strongly evoking a sense of sorrow called empathy within the Demon King, who was now walking the same path of noble mission that she had once walked.
‘I do empathize with the hero’s situation. However, what could be the reason for my discomfort to this extent even after achieving victory…’
From her standpoint, it was incomprehensible, yet at the same time, there was a feeling that something important would come out if she continued to follow this end.
However…
regarding this, the Demon King decided to put aside her deep thoughts for now.
Although a feeling of unease remained in her heart, she was not in a position to be swayed by such incomprehensible emotions.
What was most important right now was to handle the “work” of being the Demon King.
After setting aside the emotions blooming in her heart, the Demon King spoke in a calm voice toward the hero before her.
“Regardless of the circumstances… Hero, I wish to express my gratitude once again for carrying out the order I gave you excellently.”
Once more, with a voice containing the dignity of a ruler, the Demon King spoke.
The hero then lifted the shadow from his face and replied with a polite voice.
“I merely followed the command of Your Majesty, the Demon King. Rather, I am grateful for being given the opportunity to prove my loyalty.”
“Thank you for saying that, Hero. However, your achievements have undoubtedly surpassed my expectations and will bring great benefits to our Demon Kingdom. A proper reward should be given to one who has made such a contribution. Speak of what you desire.”
“Ah… No, your Majesty! Just saving my life and giving me your trust is already a great grace…”
The hero displayed confusion at the Demon King’s words. However, regarding his response, the Demon King spoke in a calm yet firm voice.
“Do not say such things; reward and punishment are the principles of the world. If we do not give a proper reward to someone like you who has achieved great merit, it will negatively affect the morale of the soldiers. Speak of anything; say what you desire.”
“Um…”
The Demon King’s words left no escape for the hero. He began to think seriously for a moment… and then cautiously looked directly at the Demon King in front of him and spoke.
“…Actually, there is one request… something I hope for…”
“What is it? Speak.”
The Demon King began to feel deep interest in the hero’s words.
The hero then showed a somewhat troubled expression before cautiously opening his mouth.
“Your Majesty, if it’s alright…”
